Liga Mundo Season 31
Liga Mundo Season 31 ran from May 3, 2018 to September 1, 2018. Season 31 saw the greatest change in the league since its founding and largest growth since expansion to 36 teams and 4 divisions in Season 8. On April 27, 2018, the African Premier League (APL) (founded August 21, 2007) with 34 of its 36 member teams submitted their application to join Liga Mundo. The merger was beneficial to all, as the additional teams helped fortify Liga Mundo for future seasons and years to come while the former APL clubs benefited from the stability provided by Liga Mundo's structure and solid foundations. The APL itself had absorbed the Kamenoi League (KL) four seasons prior and the International Mauritius Foundation IMF) / AF Sabugal League (AFSL) six seasons prior, but had dealt with instability from frequent changes with the league administrators. A third league which lasted 27 season under numerous name changes - Erasmus Premiership (3 seasons); Basalt Super League (7 seasons); Casela Gold League (1 season); Blue Line Premiership (2 seasons); Dalpuri Dewa League (1 season); Savate Dodo Football League (2 seasons); Biskwi Manioc League (4 seasons); Independence League (1 season); Sousoudansdal League (1 season); Ti Pois Sunny League (1 season); LMLC League of Moris (4 seasons) - was absorbed at some point by either the KL or IMF/ASFL Leagues prior to their merger with the APL. Liga Mundo's historical roots now branched out and went back to five separate leagues. The sudden, explosive increase from 20 to 54 teams required divisional realignment into 6 divisions of 9 teams and the resurrection of the old disbanded LM Tercera Liga along with the creation of the LM4 Cuarta Liga, LM 5 Quinta Liga, and LM6 Sexta Liga. Heading into the newly enlarged season, the promotion and relegation threshold would be at 3 teams and not the traditional 2 teams - which the league would revert back to starting in Season 32. Apart from the loss of SK Shqiponjë, disbanded by the league on April 28, 2018 on account of absent management, the previous Liga Mundo membership otherwise remained intact from Liga Mundo Season 30. Meanwhile, the African Premier League merger saw Aamir Khan Utd, African Pirates, Akwa United, Amani Umoja FC, Arsenal FC, Ash United, Attack on Titan, Commandos FC, Darkwraith, Dodo International, El Diablos, Elkanemi Warriors, Enyimba International, Equatorial Guinea, Fulham FC, Inglourious Fxckers, Kano Pillars, Kyrpäjyrä, Lumleys Lads, Marathonians FC, Northern Ultra Stars, Pelikaninhos, Pera Club, Samba Boys, Shamone FC, Sons of Kyuss, The Red Spartans, The Wailers, TP Mazembe, Ugly Betis, Verde Maltas, Waiyaki Wanderers, Westcoast Coolers, and Zwigwena FC join as expansion teams on April 28, 2018 while two APL clubs were disbanded - one of them, Société Nationale d' Electricité Congo, on account of league commissioner Bartnel Botha unable to manage two clubs in the same league. In addition to the APL influx, Liga Mundo's original founder PremierApex rejoined on April 7, 2018 as a manager with the expansion team East Minaret AF. One month later and after just one cup match played, a 0-0 draw, East Minaret AF was renamed Atlético Del Mar on May 8, 2018. Final Standings Regular Season LM1 Primera Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team LM2 Segunda Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team LM3 Tercera Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team LM4 Cuarta Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team LM5 Quinta Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team LM6 Sexta Liga Statistics Leaders All-Star Team Costa Libertad Trophy (Team of the Month) The Costa Libertad Trophy for the Liga Mundo Team of the Month was inaugurated on June 1, 2012 as a team achievement award for all Liga Mundo teams. The trophy is named in honour of the former Cybernation Costa Libertad - which was the home of Liga Mundo's founder PremierApex. League MVP *'Benito Capello (Samba Boys)' This season, while compiling and calculating the all-star teams, there were three players who really stood out and were in the final hunt for Liga Mundo MVP: Goalkeeper Rupert Cusack (Darkwraith) may have had help from his fullbacks as well as being up against some weak competition at times, but the fact he was spotless in goal all regular season is still a massive accomplishment. Fullback Mouss Kaká (Dodo International)stood out a force leading the way in the Dodo defensive zone while Benito Capello (Samba Boys) had an outstanding season and carried the Samba Boys midfield. The Lois Luis MVP Trophy is not about the best player on paper, but the one who had the most critical impact to their team's success: and with that in mind, Benito Capello gets the nod here. All-Liga Mundo All-Star Team Manager of the Season Until the end of Liga Mundo Season 30, the manager of the season award rankings in Liga Mundo were based on X11 Manager point totals accumulated during the regular season for each round of matches - with Primera managers earning 2 points per X11 Manager selection and Segunda managers 1 point. After expansion to six divisions in Season 31, however, the system was changed so that Costa Libertad Trophy earned points (the team of the month points accumulated for the entire season) became the basis for determining the manager rankings starting in Season 31 to better give winning records more weight in the rankings. This season's winner of the award for Liga Mundo Manager of the Season is Tamias21 - manager of Pera Club. LIGA MUNDO MANAGER RANKINGS - TOP 5 *'Pera Club' = 76,665 *'AFC Merry Men' = 72,750 *'The Wailers' = 64,485 *'Nordheim Badgers FC' = 62,756 *'Darkwraith' = 60,584 Copa Cato XXIV First Round Matches played on May 6 and May 13, 2018 *East Minaret AF/Atlético Del Mar defeated Sporting Los Angeles (0-0; 5-0) *Northern Ultra Stars defeated Estrella Roja (3-0; 4-0) *Waiyaki Wanderers defeated Deutsche Vienna (0-1; 1-0 PK 3-2) *Elkanemi Warriors defeated Galway City (1-1; 3-1) *Darkwraith defeated Gopher City Pippas FC (0-0; 1-1) *The Wall FC defeated Attack on Titan (1-1; 2-1) *Ocean´s Gold defeated Akwa United (0-1; 2-0 ET) *Kyrpäjyrä defeated Bethlehem FC (2-0; 0-1) *Equatorial Guinea defeated Anfield Road XI (3-0; 3-1) *Inglourious Fxckers defeated Sons of Kyuss (3-0; 2-0) *Pera Club defeated Shamone FC (4-0; 0-0) *Kano Pillars defeated El Diablos (2-1; 2-1) *Marathonians FC defeated Ugly Betis (5-0; 3-0) *Zwigwena FC defeated Lumleys Lads (3-0; 1-1) *Dodo International defeated African Pirates (4-0; 3-0) *Aamir Khan United defeated Enyimba International (2-1; 2-2) *Pelikaninhos defeated The Red Spartans (3-1; 1-0) *Westcoast Coolers defeated TP Mazembe (1-0; 1-1) *Amani Umoja FC defeated Ash United (4-1; 2-2) *The Wailers defeated Fulham FC (6-0; 5-0) *Samba Boys defeated Commandos FC (4-1; 1-0) *Verde Maltas defeated Arsenal FC (5-1; 3-1) Second Round Matches played on May 20 and May 27, 2018 *AFC Merry Men defeated Verde Maltas (3-0; 1-0) *Samba Boys defeated Nordheim Badgers FC (2-1; 1-1) *The Wailers defeated Marseille FC (2-0; 5-1) *Amani Umoja FC defeated Ashie Road 11 (0-0; 1-0) *Westcoast Coolers defeated Atlético Melloria (3-0; 2-1) *Pelikaninhos defeated Transvaal Springboks (2-0; 2-1) *Aamir Khan United defeated The Fighting Sherms (3-0; 0-0) *Dodo International defeated RMI Armed Forces FC (3-0; 5-0) *TNFR Twilight Titans defeated Zwigwena FC (0-0; 4-2) *Marathonians FC defeated Swamplandia Sinners (1-0; 2-1) *The Wall FC defeated Ocean´s Gold (0-0; 0-0 PK 10-9) *Kano Pillars defeated Atlético Del Mar (1-0; 2-0) *Pera Club defeated Northern Ultra Stars (3-1; 2-0) *Inglourious Fxckers defeated 0 Waiyaki Wanderers (3-0; 1-0) *Equatorial Guinea defeated Elkanemi Warriors (3-2; 1-1) *Darkwraith defeated Kyrpäjyrä (2-1; 0-0) Third Round Matches played on June 3 and June 10, 2018 *AFC Merry Men defeated The Wall FC (1-0; 3-1) *TNFR Twilight Titans FC defeated Dodo International (1-0; 1-0) *Kano Pillars defeated Pelikaninhos (3-0; 1-2) *Amani Umoja FC defeated Inglourious Fxckers (1-0; 0-0) *Darkwraith defeated Samba Boys (0-0; 2-0) *The Wailers defeated Equatorial Guinea (2-0; 4-0) *Pera Club defeated Westcoast Coolers (2-1; 2-2) *Marathonians FC defeated Aamir Khan United (4-0; 7-1) Quarter-Finals Matches played on June 17 and June 24, 2018 *AFC Merry Men defeated TNFR Twilight Titans FC (2-1; 0-0) *The Wailers defeated Kano Pillars (1-0; 2-0) *Pera Club defeated Amani Umoja FC (1-0; 0-0) *Darkwraith defeated Marathonians FC (1-0; 2-2) Semi-Finals Matches played on July 1 and July 8, 2018 *AFC Merry Men defeated Pera Club (3-3; 1-0) *The Wailers defeated Darkwrath (1-1; 1-0) Copa Cato XXIV Finals Matches played on July 15 and July 22, 2018 *The Wailers defeated AFC Merry Men (3-1; 2-1) Challenge Cup competitions Pippas-Titans Challenge Cup VII Matches played on July 15 and August 12, 2018 *TNFR Twilight Titans FC defeated Gopher City Pippas FC (3-2; 3-0) Team Pages *Estrella Roja *Gopher City Pippas FC *Transvaal Springboks Nation and Member Pages *Cataduanes *Gopherbashi *Transvaal (Botha)